I’m eager to get back to Washington so I can finally fix my eyes on the long-in-the-making memorial to Martin Luther King Jr.

I’m hoping the sure scale of the monument — a 30-foot stone statute of the civil rights icon and 14 of his quotations etched in granite — will prick the conscience of our nation, reminding generations to come of that pivotal, defining era in our country’s history.

“It was a really moving experience,” said Eddie Reeves, a Dallas civic leader and public-relations consultant who attended the MLK monument dedication last week. “And I’m very happy I was blessed to be there.”

He also noted some “some bittersweetness to it.”

“The average age of the persons in attendance was probably on the north side of 50,” Reeves said. “And when you think about it, it’s pretty distressing.”

But it should hardly come as a surprise. If a recent survey is any indication, most of our states are doing a lousy job of teaching students about the civil rights movement and its historical significance.

The groundbreaking survey, conducted by the Southern Poverty Law Center’s Teaching Tolerance program, looked at what — and how — all 50 states and the District of Columbia taught students about the movement.

(You can find the full report on the center’s website: splcenter.org).

“Given what states expect them to be taught, it’s no surprise that American students know so little about the modern civil rights movement,” the study noted in its findings.

“The comprehensive review of state standards and curriculum frameworks … reveals that the state of education about the civil rights movement is, in a word, dismal.”

The study — “Teaching the Movement: The State of Civil Rights Education in the United States 2011” — compared educational standards in each state “to a body of knowledge that reflects what civil rights historians and educators consider core information about the civil rights movement.”

In short, states are all over the map, with some failing to require any instruction at all about the civil rights movement.

I couldn’t wait to see how Texas stacked up. Frankly, I worried that we’d be somewhere near the bottom, especially when I read, “A shocking number of states — 35 — received grades of F. ”

Four states earned a D.

Only three states — Alabama, Florida and New York — earned an A. And just three more — Georgia, Illinois and South Carolina — received a B.

Texas and five other states got a C, a mark that indicates the states “have significant additional work to do to ensure that students have a satisfactory, comprehensive picture of the civil rights movement,” the study concluded.

“In general, these states are missing content in more than one key area, covering the movement in patches rather than systematically. Standards are often jumbled.”

Much to my surprise, Southern states tended to do a better job in the classroom, at least on this topic. For the most part, the study found, states farther away from the South and with smaller black populations paid less attention to the civil rights movement.

“That’s not a problem for black people,” said Reeves, who is black. “That’s not a problem for Hispanic people. That’s not a problem for white people. That’s a problem for America.”

Candace McAfee agrees.

She teaches Advanced Placement courses in U.S. government at Skyline High School. And McAfee tries to place an emphasis on key figures, events, laws and court cases that symbolize and define the civil rights movement, which she calls an integral part of American history.

“It’s an ongoing discussion in my class,” said McAfee, who is white, “about how things have changed since I graduated from high school in 1965.”

Like me, McAfee and Reeves hope the MLK memorial might spur greater interest in the civil rights movement. And more thorough teaching in class rooms across the country.

“I’m anxious to see this one,” McAfee said. “I think that will help a lot.”

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Most unforgettable experience on the job: Walking into the line of fire
while covering a hostage situation in Arlington early in my career and
hearing someone yell, "Get down, fool!!'' Being asked to work on
my wedding day, which forced me to figure out if I could say "I will''
before "I do.'' I did.

Something people don't know about me: I'll save that for my book, if
you don't mind.

If I had two spare hours, I would: Spend them with my son.

The secret of a good news column is: Write thoughtfully and provocatively about issues and people that readers do or should care about. Get readers to think or feel something when they read your work. Don't be afraid to get your hands dirty by doing some digging of your own. Know your audience, and listen.